About Me

Lydia C

Lydia inherited her joy of cooking from her mother. When she was younger, they would listen to albums and sing along while cooking. To this day, she still sings along to music while cooking. She resides in Newburgh, NY with her husband and two cats

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Friday, November 13, 2009

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times of the year. You know your main menu: turkey and mashed potatoes, what vegatble you're going to serve and your special Pumpkin Pie for dessert. What are you going to make for an appetizer? Are you going to serve just cheese and crackers with some veggies to hold your guests over before serving Tom Turkey? Here are a few appetizers that are quick and easy to make.

This is my husband's favorite snack. The best part - you can change this recipe to whatever you want. If you don't want a meat filling, go ahead and swap it with some pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and some pepperoni.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I will admit, I'm not a big fan of Chinese food but I do love Sesame Chicken. We went out to dinner earlier in the week and I ordered Sesame Chicken, which I haven't had in the longest time. It inspired me to try to figure out how to make my own. I wasn't too confident as the last time I made Chinese, my Lo Mein went straight from my wok to my garbage. It wasn't so last night. It was delicious! My husband felt that the sauce could have more sugar but I thought it was just fine. So, in making, when you taste the sauce, you can add more to it to taste.

Mix flour, cornstarch, baking soda and baking powder into a bowl. Add soy sauce, sherry, water, oil and sesame oil to mixture. Whisk until smooth. Add chicken and stir until chicken is coated in batter. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

While chicken is marinating, in a small saucepan, add chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste and garlic powder. Whisk and bring to a boil. In a measuring cup, add cornstarch and 1/2 cup of water; dissolve and add to boiling sauce. Simmer and whisk sauce until it thickens (about 2 minutes). Turn heat to low and keep sauce warm.

In wok, heat oil on medium high heat. Add chicken in small batches and fry until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Drain on wok rack and start next batch. After chicken has drained, put on a plate lined with paper towel and slightly tent plate with foil to keep chicken warm. Once all chicken has been cooked, transfer to serving dish and pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion. Serve with your favorite rice.